"Download & Install" vs "Repositories & Synaptic" and the need for a new URI [Was: Re: Going forward [Re: Automatix?]]

[Chanchao]

On Fri, 2006-03-31 at 07:40 +0100, Matthew East wrote:

> Try gnome-app-install. You can open it from Applications ->
> Add/Remove... It addresses steps one and two at the same time. This
> harping on about helping users to install things from their web browser,
> while well-meaning, is totally missing the point, in my view. Usability
> efforts should be concentrated on showing users the simplest way to find
> and install software: this _is_ through repositories, because it is
> inherently simple and secure.

When there's just ONE real obvious software package for something: sure.
But goig forward, there WILL be several more or less competing offerings
for most things.  Researching which is best, reading reviews, checking
the developer's site, is something that happens on the web.

Nobody is talking about taking away (functions of) gnome-app-install,
just thinking of adding a mechanism where getting software from the
developer's web site is just one click away. At the very least on the
developer's website you can check that the latest version is indeed the
one in the repositories, get the option of installing the latest
'stable' version or a recent build, etc. 

And if after all that most users decide they don't need the web and can
do everything in gnome-app-install: great! 

Cheers,
Chanchao